1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foldable ax for use in connection with cutting wood. The foldable ax has particular utility in connection with cutting wood while being safely and easily transportable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Foldable axes are desirable for cutting wood while being safely and easily transportable. When a person is camping, backpacking, or hiking, it is frequently desirable to gather wood for such purposes as fire building or the construction of a shelter. In general, the longer the handle of an ax, the greater the velocity of its blade when it strikes its target. The greater the blade velocity, the deeper the resulting cut, which correspondingly reduces total cutting time. However, a long handle makes transporting the ax difficult because it requires a lot of space. There is also a need to prevent the blade of the ax from coming into contact with objects it could damage. This has traditionally been accomplished by the use of a removable cover. Foldable axes address both of these problems by providing a handle which folds into a U-shape, thereby surrounding the blade. In this configuration, the blade cannot come into contact with objects it could damage, and the ax occupies substantially less space. However, upon unfolding the handle, the user is presented with the full advantages imparted by the long handle of a conventional ax.
The use of folding pack axes is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,793,664 to Warrington, Sr. discloses a folding pack axe. However, the Warrington, Sr. ""664 patent does not have a handle which folds into a U-shape, and has further drawbacks of lacking a handle which can surround three sides of the blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,189,005 to Seely discloses a folding ax that effectively locks the ax in operative or inoperative positions. However, the Seely ""005 patent does not have a handle which folds into a U-shape, and additionally does not have a handle which can surround three sides of the blade.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 1,457,930 to Nelems discloses a folding hatchet that has a hatchet blade that receives and carries a reversible digging tool. However, the Nelems ""930 patent does not have a handle which folds into a U-shape, and cannot surround the blade on three sides with the handle.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 2,989,100 to Burdis et al. discloses a collapsible hand ax that includes a channel-shaped holder. However, the Burdis et al. ""100 patent does not have four handle elements, and also does not have a handle which folds into a U-shape.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,539 to Petrich discloses a folding hatchet that has a channel member having a head member rotatably attached to one end. However, the Petrich ""539 patent does not have a handle which folds into a U-shape, and further lacks four handle elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,588 to Petrich discloses a folding ax that is compact and a folding position exhibit superior strength, safety, and self lubricating characteristics when in the open or use position. However, the Petrich ""539 patent does not have a handle which folds into a U-shape, and also does not have four handle elements.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 278,967 to Hewitt discloses a folding hatchet that has a handle resembling that of a pocketknife. However, the Hewitt ""967 patent does not have a handle which folds into a U-shape, and has the additional deficiency of not being able to surround the blade on three sides with the handle.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a foldable ax that allows cutting wood while being safely and easily transportable. The above patents make no provision for a handle which folds into a U-shape. The Burdis et al. ""100 patent, the Petrich ""539 patent, and the Petrich ""539 patent lack four handle elements. The Warrington, Sr. ""664 patent, the Seely ""005 patent, the Nelems ""930 patent, and the Hewitt ""967 patent cannot surround the blade on three sides with the handle.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved foldable ax that can be used for cutting wood while being safely and easily transportable. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the foldable ax according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of cutting wood while being safely and easily transportable.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of folding pack axes now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved foldable ax, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved foldable ax which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a foldable ax which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a blade with a cutting edge and a base end with a first handle element connected to the base end of the blade. Three additional handle elements are connected end to end to one end of the first handle element.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include the second handle element, third handle element, and fourth handle element being hingedly attached to one another and to the first handle element. The handle elements may be foldable into a U-shape which surrounds the blade. The second, third, and fourth handle elements may each have a latching mechanism to removably secure the handle elements to each other. Each latching mechanism may consist of a latch receiver slot, a latch springedly and hingedly attached to the handle element, and a latch access cut in the top of the handle element. The blade may be made of steel, aluminum, or titanium. The handle elements may be made of plastic, aluminum, steel, titanium, or carbon fiber composite. The latches may be made of plastic, steel, aluminum, or titanium. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently current, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved foldable ax that has all of the advantages of the prior art folding pack axes and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved foldable ax that maybe easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved foldable ax that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such foldable ax economically available to the buying public.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new foldable ax that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a foldable ax for cutting wood while being safely and easily transportable. This allows the user to generate the blade velocities of a long handled ax while cutting wood.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a foldable ax for cutting wood while being safely and easily transportable. This makes it possible to make the ax more compact.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a foldable ax for cutting wood while being safely and easily transportable. This makes it possible to prevent the cutting edge of blade from coming into contact with an object it could damage.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a foldable ax for cutting wood while being safely and easily transportable. This makes it possible to securely lock the handle elements in place when the ax is in use.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved foldable ax for cutting wood while being safely and easily transportable.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated current embodiments of the invention.